Moving waste disposal underground

Litter and other waste is an inevitable and normal feature of city life, but finding effective solutions for keeping streets and parks clean and tidy has never proved completely easy. EcoSir’s innovative Sir-Lift solves the problem by moving waste collection underground.

EcoSir’s products are based on the idea that the disposal of waste should be made as easy and routine for people as possible, whether you are talking about everyday litter and small items such as batteries or larger items and larger volumes of waste material or waste compaction.

As a result, the company offers a full range of concepts divided into light, medium-size, and heavy products.

The products in the company’s light range include ashtrays, litterbins, battery boxes, and dog stations. The latter are specially designed to help dog owners clean up after their pets in parks and dispose of their waste more hygienically, with the help of separate litter containers.

EcoSir’s park benches and bicycle racks make a stylish addition to any park, while its can press is a handy addition to the family garage or waste disposal area in an apartment building.

A Sir-Lift system in Central Stockholm in the ‘up’ position, showing how the combined container/compactor sits underneath the ‘roof’, which is normally on a level with the pavement.

The innovative Sir-Lift

The most innovative of the company’s heavy products designed for larger applications is undoubtedly the Sir-Lift.

Thanks to having its key components below ground, all that the average passer-by will see at a Sir-Lift location are a group of extra-size ‘litter bins’. Despite their appearance, these are not bins in the normal sense, but rather covered chutes linked to an underground waste container and compactor.

When it comes time to empty a unit, an operator simply presses a button and the Sir-Lift’s lift platform and compactor rises out of the ground with the bins still on top – together with any other street furniture, such as bicycle racks.

The combined container and compactor can be simply rolled out and loaded onto a truck for onward transportation to a treatment or disposal facility. A fresh, empty container is then placed on the platform and the entire unit disappears below the surface again, ready for service.

Coming to Moscow too

The Sir-Lift is ideal for meeting waste disposal needs in public areas, such as market squares, parks, and sports stadiums, where large numbers of people pass by on a regular basis or other activities are concentrated that generate a steady stream of waste.

The system minimises the amount of space needed on the surface, creating a more attractive environment, and also eliminates odour issues. By keeping machinery underground, it is also protected against vandalism.

The Sir-Lift is suitable for all types of waste, and is quick and easy to install. Once a pit has been excavated and suitably lined, and fitted with a drainage connector if selected, as well as an electricity feed, the entire module – including hydraulics, electrics, and surface fittings – can be swung into place by crane and connected up in only three to four hours. Finishing work follows, after which the system is ready to receive its first container and serve its first customer.

To ensure that units are emptied in time, a ¾ full indicator can be fitted to supplement normal emptying routines.

In addition to systems already installed in Finland and Sweden, EcoSir has recently supplied the Sir-Lift system – together with deep collection containers and litterbins – to Moscow’s Victory Park (Park Pobedy). The project is the first joint initiative between the Moscow city authorities and a foreign company covering waste collection and recycling equipment.

Located in and around Poklonnaya Gora, the hill where Napoleon waited, in vain, to receive the keys of the city from his troops in 1812, Victory Park is due to commission the new system on Victory Day – or May 9 – 2008.

Other heavy solutions

EcoSir’s waste compactors are also available separately for above-ground use, wherever large amounts of waste are generated, such as shops, hospitals, and production plants. The standard design features a combined unit with an interconnected compactor press and container, but units can also be supplied with detachable containers.

Standard sizes range from 6 m3 to 35 m3, and accessories include lifting arms, special hoppers, odour control systems, and GSM alarm systems.

Waste stations, designed to compress waste at intermediate points on its journey to its final destination, are also supplied. These can be very useful in saving on transportation capacity and reducing fly waste carried by the wind.

Drawing on its underground expertise, EcoSir has also developed the SandPost, a landscape-friendly solution for storing sand and grit for road maintenance.

A Sir-Lift system – together with EcoSir deep collection containers and litter bins – is due to be commissioned in Moscow’s Victory Park on Victory Day 2008. It is the first joint project between the Moscow city authorities and a foreign company in the waste collection and recycling equipment area.